Imprisoned at Werewolf Keep (Werewolf Keep Trilogy) by Nhys Glover Page A

reassured.
    ‘No. Neither the wolf nor I did her any harm. The beast killed this blackguard, though. And I feel no remorse over it. He received his just deserts. I do not know if he had his way with her, but what I can remember of last night, she seemed well enough. Not overly traumatised, considering she had seen a wolf tear a man to pieces and then had that same creature befriend her.’
    ‘You will not come with us to find her?’
    ‘No. It is better that she does not see me dressed like this. She might start putting the pieces together, and I do not think I could handle her knowing what I am.’
    ‘You do not think she connects you with the beast?’ Phil asked, calmer now.
    ‘I do not think so. Why should she?’
    With that , he started dragging the corpse off the road. Byron remounted and led Phil off into the woods, following the tracks Jasper and Fidelia had made.
     
    Fidelia came awake to a bone deep chill. She looked down at the ground beneath her and saw her hands, filthy and blue with cold. Then she looked up and saw the low roof of the cave above her. Bit by bit, memories of the night before started coming back to her. When she remembered the wolf, she jerked upright, searching the shadowy corners for his bulky form.
    But her senses already knew he wasn’t there. His feral smell was faint and fading. He had left her some time ago, then. She didn’t know whether she was relieved or disappointed. The creature had been the only thing that kept her alive through the night. And kept her sane…if she was willing to admit it.  They had formed a bond, strange as it was, and now she missed that bond. Missed the wolf.
    She clambered out of the cave into th e morning sunshine. It was late. Maybe ten o’clock. How had she slept so long? As she stretched her back to get the kinks out, she looked around. There was no sign of the wolf. But what was that in the snow? A man’s bare footprints leading back the way they had come the night before. What would a man be doing walking around in the snow without shoes?
    Fidelia flashed to Jasper, standing naked and blue in the doorway of the hotel’s back entrance. He had been walking around in the snow in bare feet yesterday morning. But why would he be doing the same thing here?
    Before s he could think too much about that, she heard the sound of horses approaching. Then, as if by some miracle, she saw Phil and Byron riding towards her.
    ‘Oh thank heavens!’ she cried as she started running toward them, dragging her wet, snow-soaked skirts with her.
    ‘Dee! Oh Dee, I was so worried! Are you all right?’ P hil threw herself from her mare and came to Fidelia’s side. She wrapped her in a bear hug and clung for several long minutes, sharing her body heat with her. ‘Tell me you are unharmed!’
    Fidelia laughed and then began to cry. It was all too much! ‘Yes…Yes, I am fine. Thanks to a big wolf that stopped the carriage, killed Rathgart and brought me here. It was the strangest night of my life. But I am so glad you found me! I did not know what I was going to do.’
    ‘Come on, you can ride with me. We need to ge t you to the nearest inn so you can have a hot breakfast and warm up by the fire. You must be freezing.’ Phil led her back to her horse, and Byron, who had dismounted when Phil had, helped her up onto the horse. Then he assisted Phil up, too. Cuddled close to her friend, Fidelia felt impossibly happy for the first time in days.
    ‘Rathgart’s body should be back on the road,’ she said as they began to walk the horses back the way they had come.
    ‘Yes. It has been taken care of. He is dead and will never bother you again . Did he…?’ Phil didn’t finish her question, but Fidelia knew exactly what she was asking.
    ‘No, he was trying to get us to Gretna Green as quickly as possible. He planned to marry me and then bed me. But I would never have agreed to either. I would have died first. Luckily, I did not need to. Although, there was a few